Dorianne is a graduate of the Theatre and Drama Studies joint program between University of Toronto, Erindale campus and Sheridan College. She writes short stories, plays and screenplays and was delighted to be accepted into the 2010 Diaspora Dialogues program and also to have her short story accepted into the 2011 edition of TOK: Writing The New Toronto collection. She is also a regularly contributing writer on http://www.sexlifecanada.ca. You can follow her on twitter @headonist if you like tweets about cats, sex, food, queer stuff and lefty politics.
Prohibition-era adaptation of Shakespeare classic in Toronto is fun for all ages
Shakespeare played out-of-doors is a time-honoured tradition, and especially appropriate for plays set in nature, such as Rosalynde (or, As You Like It). The main setting is the Forest of Arden, where a number of people have fled to avoid persecution at the hands of an evil Duke. Driftwood‘s production is a “Bard’s Bus Tour”, playing in various municipalities around Southern Ontario, with a vision to provide quality Shakespearean theatre to people of varying locations and income levels — all shows are either free or Pay What You Can. Driftwood does provide a quality experience, with skilled performances winning my attention over many distractions on the evening I attended.
The Secret Sessions brings the nostalgic cult comedy to life on the Toronto stage
When you first saw a picture of a capybara did you think “Well, that’s a Rodent Of Unusual Size”? Have you ever said to someone in parting “Have fun storming the castle”? Do you know what words come after “Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya”? If so, I highly recommend you gather some friends and attend The Princess Bride – The Movie Experience, produced by The Secret Sessions, and onstage now at The Redwood.
LULU v.7 takes on Frank Wedekind in this Toronto stage production
In LULU v.7 // aspects of a femme fatale, currently playing at Buddies In Bad Times, the creative team re-interprets Frank Wedekind‘s 1894 play Pandora’s Box. Lulu is sexually voracious, and either a malignant temptress or a victim of men who only see in her what their lust wants to see. “Why not both?” you may ask, and I and the show both agree. This productions’ first act is an atmospheric and inspired rendering of Lulu as both, including a meta-theatrical critique of the text and its place in patriarchy.
A story about the pressure of growing into womanhood, on stage at the Tarragon in Toronto
In Girls Like That, onstage now at Tarragon, a group of girls in a small private grade school develop that dreadful, inevitable pecking order of insular communities. When they go to high school, their social dynamics are further complicated by sexuality, boys, and patriarchal contradictions about how they are supposed to engage with their sexuality, and with boys. Continue reading Review: Girls Like That (Tarragon Theatre)→
Coal Mine Theatre presents a claustrophobic and dystopian drama on stage in Toronto
Three people are imprisoned in close quarters and stripped of their humanity, reduced to test subjects for mysterious experiments. This is the premise of Category E, by Edmonton playwright Belinda Cornish, onstage now at Coal Mine Theatre. It’s a horrific dystopia that left me wanting answers to a lot of questions. I would go see a sequel, or a prequel, in a heartbeat, both to find answers and to enjoy more of Cornish’s tightly-wound work. Continue reading Review: Category E (Coal Mine Theatre)→
Prohibition-era adaptation of Shakespeare classic in Toronto is fun for all ages
The Secret Sessions brings the nostalgic cult comedy to life on the Toronto stage
LULU v.7 takes on Frank Wedekind in this Toronto stage production
A story about the pressure of growing into womanhood, on stage at the Tarragon in Toronto
Coal Mine Theatre presents a claustrophobic and dystopian drama on stage in Toronto